Drug concentration determination after transarterial chemoembolization with different sized drug-eluting microsphere beads

1. A system for a transarterial chemoembolization of a region of interest comprising a tumor, comprising:

an injecting device arranged to introduce into the region of interest first drug-eluting microsphere beads containing at least a first drug and a first contrast agent and to introduce into the region of interest second drug-eluting microsphere beads containing at least a second drug that is different from the first drug and a second contrast agent;

an imaging system arranged to obtain a first image data set of the region of interest with at least a first x-ray radiation energy that corresponds to the first contrast agent, and a second image data set of the region of interest with at least a second x-ray radiation energy that corresponds to the second contrast agent, wherein the first image data set comprises the first contrast agent, and the second image data set comprises the second contrast agent; and

processor circuitry configured to determine, based on the first contrast agent, a first drug concentration from the first image data set and determine, based on the second contrast agent, a second drug concentration from the second image data set, wherein the first drug-eluting microsphere beads have a larger diameter than the second drug-eluting microsphere beads.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the imaging system is a spectral computed tomography imaging system arranged to simultaneously obtain the first image data and second image data.

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first drug-eluting microsphere beads have a size to prevent penetration into tumor core vessels, and the size allowing penetration into an upper stream of tumor core vessels, and

the second drug-eluting microsphere beads have a size to allow penetration into tumor core vessels, thereby allowing release of the second contrast agent of the second drug-eluting microsphere beads into tumor core vessels.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the first contrast agent is different from the second contrast agent.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least first x-ray radiation energy corresponds to a K-absorption edge of the first contrast agent and the at least second x-ray radiation energy corresponds to a K-absorption edge of the second contrast agent.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system is configured to obtain the first image data set at a time when the first contrast agent is in an upper stream of tumor core vessels,

the imaging system is configured to obtain the second image data set at a time when the second contrast agent that has a different radiation absorption characteristic than the first contrast agent is in tumor core vessels,

the processor circuitry is configured to determine the first drug concentration based on the first contrast agent that is in the upper stream of tumor core vessels, and

the processor circuitry is configured to determine the second drug concentration based on the second contrast agent that is in the tumor core vessels.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system is configured to obtain the first image data set at a time:

when the first contrast agent is in the upper stream of tumor core vessels, and

when the second contrast agent that has a different radiation absorption characteristic than the first contrast agent is in tumor core vessels.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor circuitry is configured to configure a display to display:

a first location of at least one of the first drug concentration and the first drug-eluting microsphere beads, the first location being overlayed over the upper stream of tumor core vessels on a computerized tomography (CT) image, and

a second location of at least one of the second drug concentration and the second drug-eluding mircosphere beads, the second location being overlayed over the tumor core vessels on the same CT image.

9. A method for determining a delivered drug dose concentration in a region of interest comprising a tumor, comprising:

obtaining a first image data set by imaging the region of interest with an x-ray imaging device operating at least at a first x-ray radiation energy that corresponds to a first contrast agent, wherein the first image data set comprises the first contrast agent;

determining, from the first contrast agent of the first image data set, a first drug concentration delivered to the region of interest by the first drug-eluting microsphere beads containing at least a first drug and the first contrast agent;

obtaining a second image data set by imaging the region of interest with an x-ray imaging device operating at least at a second x-ray radiation energy that corresponds to a second contrast agent, wherein the second image data set comprises the second contrast agent; and

determining, from the second contrast agent of the second image data set, a second drug concentration delivered to the region of interest by the second drug-eluting microsphere beads containing at least a second drug and the second contrast agent, wherein the first drug-eluting microsphere beads have a larger diameter than the second drug-eluting microsphere beads, and wherein the second drug is different from the first drug.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first image data and the second image data are obtained simultaneously.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first drug-eluting microsphere beads have a size to prevent penetration into tumor core vessels, and the size allowing penetration into an upper stream of tumor core vessels, and

the second drug-eluting microsphere beads have a size to allow penetration into tumor core vessels, thereby allowing release of the second contrast agent of the second drug-eluting microsphere beads into tumor core vessels.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the first contrast agent is different from the second contrast agent.

13. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the at least first x-ray radiation energy corresponds to a K-absorption edge of the first contrast agent and the at least second x-ray radiation energy corresponds to a K-absorption edge of the second contrast agent.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the obtaining of the first image data set includes obtaining the first image data set at a time when the first contrast agent is in an upper stream of tumor core vessels,

the obtaining of the second image data set includes obtaining the second image data set at a time when the second contrast agent that has a different radiation absorption characteristic than the first contrast agent is in tumor core vessels,

determining of the first drug concentration includes determining the first drug concentration based on the first contrast agent that is in the upper stream of tumor core vessels, and

determining of the second drug concentration includes the second drug concentration based on the second contrast agent that is in the tumor core vessels.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the obtaining of the first image data set includes obtaining the first image data set at a time:

when the first contrast agent is in the upper stream of tumor core vessels, and

when the second contrast agent that has a different radiation absorption characteristic than the first contrast agent is in tumor core vessels.

16. The method of claim 9 , further comprising displaying:

a first location of at least one of the first drug concentration and the first drug-eluting microsphere beads, the first location being overlayed over the upper stream of tumor core vessels on a computerized tomography (CT) image, and

a second location of at least one of the second drug concentration and the second drug-eluting microsphere beads, the second location being overlayed over the tumor core vessels on the same CT image.